From Employee To Entrepreneur: Building Confidence, Systems, And A Clear Why

Want to be your own boss without losing your footing? We unpack the real work behind entrepreneurship: a clear why, disciplined self-talk, and the daily habits that replace motivation with momentum. Along the way, we get honest about the roller coaster, the temptation to complain, and how your words shape your results more than you think.

We break down the employee-to-entrepreneur shift and why accountability is the quiet superpower that keeps your calendar and cash flow alive. You’ll hear how to choose the right industry and company, lean on systems so you don’t rebuild the wheel, and use mentors to fast-track trust when you’re new or young. Instead of hoarding product knowledge, we advocate for practice over theory: talk to people, lead with education, and let service replace sales pressure. Confidence comes from clarity and repetition, not volume or hype.

We also challenge myths about risk and security. A paycheck can feel safe until it isn’t, so we explore part-time pathways that protect your bills while you build skills. We touch on the Cashflow Quadrant to explain the difference between self-employed and business owner income, and we examine the money beliefs many of us absorbed growing up. If you’re stuck in fear, remember: action shrinks it. Start small, borrow authority from mentors, and bring value to every conversation. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s ready to grow, and leave a review to tell us what mindset shift you’re making today.

Transcript

Defining Entrepreneurship And The Why

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hi guys, welcome to this week's episode of Tough Love and Thick Gates. We have brought our beautiful guests back. This week we are going to be talking about entrepreneurship.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Yes, we're so excited to talk about this topic. I mean, as entrepreneurs, I've been doing this for four years, and it's definitely been a challenge. Like, I don't know for you, Trini, what do you think an entrepreneur is?

SPEAKER_03 0:24

Well, I mean, for what I've heard or what I've seen, I would think it more like you're working for yourself. You always have your own schedule that you get to work off of. You're there's no limit to how much you're making. It's just all based on what you're doing and what you have set goals for yourself. But I mean, what is it like? Like, what is how do you even get started to even be your own, like an entrepreneur for that?

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Well, there are many ways that people can do it. I guess the first thing that you need to be clear in your mind what I mean, what do you want to do and why? You are why. I that's what I think is very important to know because sometimes entrepreneurship, you're going to go like I said, roller coaster. Sometimes you're gonna be up and down. It's gonna be tough times. And but when you have a clear why, then that's gonna keep pushing. You're gonna continue. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:14

That's definitely the fuel. Yeah.

Mindset, Complaints, And Self-Talk

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Yeah, that's one of the things, you know. Like I guess that is very important, the mindset that we have.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Yeah. I feel like mindset is so key when it comes to anything. Like literally, you and I had the conversation yesterday about complaining. Yeah. You know what I mean? How so many times you just you get so I don't like things get tough. And so you just start like, oh, this and oh that, and uh, and before you know it, that's all you have is the uh like everything's a uh for yourself.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

So even like Trini mentioned the other day, like that's a goal that you have for yourself, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:55

Like Well, it's like for me, I was um I had something to complain about every day. Every day it was always something, and then I started to reflect like about how maybe how people see me. That's what really had me like really what made me want to stop doing it so much is because I would come every day, I'd be like, oh my back hurts, oh my head hurts, or something like that. And it started to get to the point where I started to get annoyed with myself, and it was just like girl, like yeah, it's always something like it's not even that bad. Like, seriously, suck it up a little bit, like, and even if even then, even if that is the case, and I'm not like I'm not just saying it to say it, you know, but not everything needs to be said out loud because I feel like that's more like that's more putting more attention, yes, exactly. Well, and I'm like, I forgot, I'm sorry.

Personal Growth And Being Coachable

SPEAKER_02 2:45

No, and I feel like there's so many studies out there that show like what you think, what you speak, becomes your reality. So the more you're sitting around like this hurts, that hurts, then like everything starts to hurt because they they say like your mind is constantly trying to find the universe, is constantly trying to bring in what your mind tells it is reality. So if you're like, oh, nothing good happens for me, or uh, like everything's always a struggle, or the like if those are the thoughts that you feed into your mind, that is what you're pulling in. That is, you know, the the universe is building, pulling everything in to make what you're thinking a reality. So I feel like when it comes to being able to control that mindset, because as an entrepreneur, like it's not always sunshine and rainbows. Like there's so many times. Like you might mention, like it's a roller coaster, really.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

Yeah, and and I guess uh this is something that I have learned over the years. It's like uh sometimes we need to learn about ourselves. Yes. And is also professional development. When you are an entrepreneur, you need to develop yourself to a different level to get what you really want, what you have in envisioned, you know, like uh what whatever is your vision, and you have to level up yourself. I mean, you cannot stay in the same.

SPEAKER_02 4:06

Yeah. Well, like where I think like Paulina and I had this conversation yesterday where I feel like a lot of people struggle with, I don't know if it's a generational thing or just like a people thing. Like people stopped wanting to learn. It's this whole like between TikTok, between TikTok and what you've experienced, you know everything. And like I've always told my daughter, like my best place to be, like the biggest, my special role is I love being the dumbest person in the room. Because if I can go, if I can get myself in a room where I know less than everybody in there, then all I get to do is grow and learn and be that much better rather than going in with a oh, I already know that, or oh, I already know that. Like I already, you know, because there's more than one way to skin a cat. And what could take me two hours to do, you might have a shortcut that will take you five minutes. But it takes me shutting up and not acting like I know everything to want to learn it.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Right. Yeah. No, and and that's goal also um being coachable. Being coachable, thank you. Being coachable because if you're not coachable, you're not gonna grow.

Choosing Industry, Company, And Systems

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Right, exactly. In any, I think in any business, even personally, like as a mom, as a business owner or whatever it is, you have to be coachable. That's what I have been like it's an ability, it's something that you have to learn, to be open to receive judgment, to learn from what others are doing. Like it's it's it's a challenge just because we have been like already, like we feel like we have so much already, and we can get anywhere that we forget that the easiest place to learn is from someone that already did it, you know. Like, and and we have been so lucky to have so many leaders that are willing to share that with us daily. They're available to us, and that's another thing becoming an entrepreneur. What industry are you gonna fall in? What company are you joining? You know, what market are you gonna are you gonna follow, you know? So that's those are factors that you do have to consider. And another thing that I think it's super in important when you're talking about mindset is we have an employee to entrepreneur movement. Sometimes when you're in an employee, you just follow what you're told, you know, and then you start your own business and you're like you kind of have to be self-accountable and get up in the morning and get stuff done for your business. And that can be so hard.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

I don't know what your experience has. Well, I've had the conversation with her where it's like the people think, oh, you work for yourself. Ask any realtor why did you get in the business to make a lot of money and be my own boss? Those are the two common answers. Those are the two answers. That's their why, you know. But it's like nobody's especially like from my experience, I could say I went from working at a Remax where I had to be there Monday through Friday, eight to five. And then it was then all of a sudden when I transitioned out of that, it was like it's eight o'clock. I don't necessarily have to be anywhere, but am I gonna take and this was pre-COVID, you know what I mean? So it wasn't a work-from-home environment. You know, am I gonna get my ass up and go to work and do the things that I need to do to grow my business? And that's where, like, for me, like when I teamed up with Wealth Wave, it was something that for me, it was there's already systems in place. There's already I don't need to go in and recreate the wheel to learn how to provide a service to my clients, how to, you know, be of service, knowing that there's already tools and stuff on there. Like, how do I, how do I attract my ideal client? Exactly. You know, like a lot of real estate agents, like they even struggle today because it's you're you're so much everywhere that you're not specific to where you need to be. So I feel like that was one thing with Wealth Wave that it was like, okay, like here's what I can do. And then another thing that for me when I'm sharing the information with my friends, is this isn't you don't have to, it's not an all or nothing. You don't have to go, you don't have to go from being a full-time employee to being an entrepreneur. Exactly. Because the most important out opportunity.

Employee To Entrepreneur Accountability

SPEAKER_00 8:18

Our our company champion part-timers. Yeah. Because they have seen, and I have seen in the traditional industry where it's like sometimes it's hard to go from, I mean, you need some people, they need the security, and it's hard to do the transition because you have bills to pay, you have a family probably, you know, you need to continue. So, and this industry, the financial service industry, is it's a lot of learning. It's a lot of learning. Like I was coming from, I was not coming from this industry. I used to work in a facility, a gym. I used to provide, I used to certify uh lifeguards and keep everyone's CPR classes, you know, like the certifications uh active. So I have to learn first of all, like uh, well, about the products, about how to talk to people, because what am I gonna say? Sometimes I was afraid I didn't have all the answers. Well, yeah, that's how I feel like that.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

Sometimes too, where I get, especially like when my mom was like pushing me a little bit more to work with uh work with um well my life, my sorry, well, wait, sorry. Um is that I get a lot into my head like with speaking with people, especially like in a professional manner, because I've done it before, but I guess it's more something that I overthink it a little bit too much, where it's like it's much more different. And I feel like it probably is. I feel like it definitely probably is, but I feel like I've even got out of the comfort stage when I was working at the old building that I used to have where I was leasing office spaces too, where it's all just a mentality. Like now I feel like a lot more comfortable being able to speak to people, but there's still like a little bit of a block where I still have like a little bit of fear on what like moving into the stage of doing things for myself, being an entrepreneur or anything like that. So I guess what my question is also leaning on that, like how what advice would you have for like people like my age group or even younger that are starting to like that don't want to work for other people that are in like intrigued and wanting to get their own business started?

Part-Time Pathways And Learning On The Job

SPEAKER_01 10:22

For sure. I guess that's where I was at because I started when I was like 23, oh your age actually. And it was challenging because I felt like people saw me and like you're talking sitting down with people about their money. Yes. So they kind of want someone with experience, right? Knowledge, so yeah. So that's what that's something that kind of like, I don't know, it stalked me a little. I didn't want to seem like I was gonna say say the wrong thing or or or something like that. And that's where leveraging people that have been in the industry for 15 years comes like it's so important, and it has allowed me and giving me the opportunity to build a business because I take your mom or her twin, there's two of them, and I take them to the appointments with me, and that gives me so I have made a relationship with the with the client already. They trust me, and they trust that I'm bringing someone with experience, and I guess that has been like incredible for me to be able to build something. Otherwise, how do you just start at like 23 years old alone?

SPEAKER_02 11:29

I feel like at your age and even whatever age, I don't think it's an age thing, but there's always that fear of rejection.

SPEAKER_03 11:35

It's that I feel like it's also confidence too. Like if you lack confidence, a lot of people are gonna see that.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

Well, and what I've learned with Myers in real estate is I I had the most amazing mentor. Her name was Mari, and she was, you know, she told me, you need to be that person, you need to know your stuff so well that when you walk in the room, you can start talking to another person, but you're giving just so much value, so much information, so much of the answering the questions of what they need answered, that anybody that may have had that question, they are naturally gravitated to you. And I feel like that's you know, that getting over being aware of what the product and services are that you offer to somebody, if you are so confident and you know what it is you're bringing to the table. One, it shifts your mindset from sales. Oh, I'm a I don't, I'm not, I'm not a salesy person. I'm not salesy. Well, I'm not asking you to sell anything. I'm asking you to get in front of somebody that needs a service, that needs a product, that needs the information. You know, like I tell my clients, I'm not, you know, when it comes to selling and buying, this isn't my transaction. Yeah, I'm here to give you all the knowledge, tools, and information that you need to make informed decisions. And the decisions are yours to make. And I feel like as an entrepreneur, if you just learn so much about the product that you're offering and that you're giving, and you believe, you have to believe in the product that you're providing and that it is a service and it's gonna make somebody's life better, then all you go into every single appointment, not worried about making a sale, but about making an impact in a person's life. And they're either gonna it comes with everything. You somebody shows you something and you either need it and want it or you don't. And if you get over that person that's gonna say no, then that's their choice.

Overcoming Inexperience With Mentors

SPEAKER_00 13:33

Yeah, it's and it's true that what you're saying, and and I totally agree. And that's when that's what I love about the company, because we are into education, providing value, and you need to believe what you're doing, whatever is that business or the the thing that you are starting, you need to believe in the in the in the process, in the but in the process, but also like uh the company, what you're doing it for. Because products change. I can tell you, I've been 15 years in the industry and the product they change. It's like the cards. So now you have this car that is like it's a tetle, it's a neuron, or the or a Honda, whatever it is, but it's it has this and that, and the previous one didn't have to. So it's like it's but it's not about it's like a it's what the car can do for you. Right. So it's like a what can you do for the individual. Yeah. So and sometimes I see people that they want to learn every single product. And then I will go to the field, and then I go to talk to people. Guess what? The best way to learn is by practice, not by the book, not by a I'm a like I'm for sure, uh for sure, probably also that real estate industry changes laws and things like that every single time.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Everybody, I have so many agents that were like, ah, over the NAR settlement, and it's like, read it, read what it is. Like, not a whole lot is changing. You should have a buyer agency agreement before you show property, anyways. You know what I mean? But it's just this this fear, the fear that's constantly shoved down our throats. Like, be afraid, be very afraid. Like, it's just the fear that's constantly, and you have to have the mindset to be able to overcome that, or be able to, like, okay, like, or I feel like very common today with social media, like everybody sees everything that's happening for people that share everything, and like something bad happened to somebody. Or I've had people, oh, I didn't get into real estate because so-and-so's uncle's brothers' cousins was in real estate and he couldn't make it, or oh, I can't sell life insurance because my friend liked life insurance. He sold life insurance, but he hated going into people's houses. And it's like exactly this is different, and that's exactly what I feel like a lot of people need to overcome. Where okay, that was their experience, let me go make mine.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

Yeah, yeah, it's a little different. And sometimes we don't know why it didn't work, right? I mean, because it's like uh again, going into being an entrepreneur, you need to work on yourself. So I'm so happy to hear that now you identify things that you need to work on. Yeah, because that once now now that you say, Oh, I used to complain, or I I would like to complain. So now you're aware, and because you're aware, you're gonna be able to change.

SPEAKER_03 16:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

So when we are not aware of those kind of things, then we don't move forward.

SPEAKER_03 16:19

Yeah, that's what I was telling her too, because I was a little bit more anxious to like move forward with doing it. It's just because I was telling her, like, oh, like this is like a big girl job. Like, I've never had one like that. So I'm like, oh, okay. Like anxiety was there. But now I feel like even with our conversations that we're having today, it's something that I could still obviously like see through and see where it takes me. And in the long run, I'm able to make the money for myself. That way I could start doing with my other licensing with the tissue that I still want to. So there's other possibilities besides just this one thing. Like I feel like a lot of people now too, everybody thinks that they have to stick to one thing their whole life. And that's that's not the case. Not nowadays. Yeah. I mean, there's so many people that, yeah, like you said, you were a hairdresser at one point here, you are doing this now, too. And you're happy with it, right? So exactly. So I feel like there's only you only limit yourself to how much you want to. Like the only limits that exist are the ones you put on yourself. Exactly. Exactly.

Value Over Sales And Client Education

SPEAKER_00 17:15

Sometimes I ask people, it's like, are you open for opportunities? Do you see yourself returning that in the place where you are? And if you have envision a business, what kind of business is it? How many hours are you gonna work for your business? What kind of income? Is it passive income? So those kind of things are.

SPEAKER_02 17:35

Well, I think, and it's for me, fear is what you don't know or don't understand. That's all fear is. You can be like so scared of anything, but the minute you're like, like, oh, I I'm scared of investing. But once you learn how to invest, it's like playing crafts at the casino. Like, oh my comaros, they were so scared to try. And then I told them, like, that teach me. You know how I'm gonna teach you? Put your money on the table. Once your money's on the table, you're gonna follow your money to figure out what's happening, and then you're gonna learn. And you know, it it's it's empowering once you are able to go into something that you have were completely ignorant about, you get all the tools, information, knowledge that you need, and then you're like, oh, that wasn't so scary after all. You know what I mean? Like it, and it you don't get you don't overcome that fear without the doing. Yeah, exactly. Can I t try it? Yeah, or even like my son. My son, he's 11 years old, and he's like, Oh my god, I have testing. And I'm like, dude, you're fine. He's like me. You're fine. Just and then he aces everyone. Yes, every single thing. And then he's like, Oh, and I'm like, imagine like if you would have not done it, even not well, not even not done it, but you took three days of peace away from yourself over something that you knew you had to do anyways. You knew you had to face it head on, and now it's done, and it was nothing. It was nothing. So, with with both with all my kids, I'm like, face your fears, Arlo. Like you have to, you have to meet fear face on and just take not even, I don't feel like everything is a risk. I feel like that's part of the wiring that everything, oh this is a big risk. Be careful. This is a big risk, which I feel like that's like we you and I had the conversation where so many people that are employed, they see that as security. But you might and I had the conversation where it's all false sense of security.

Practice Beats Theory And Beating Fear

SPEAKER_00 19:33

False sense of security because nowadays it's like you see right now the government shut down companies. Sometimes they move different places around and then let you go. So there's not any security there. And you are limited. So I highly recommend for the ones that they haven't done it, it's like um the cash flow, um, cash flow quadrant by Robiyosaki, which is explained like uh moving from being employed to the self-employed quadrant. Well, to the self-employed and then moving to the other quadrant, which is business owner and investor. Because it's not the same being a self-employed as a business owner. Right. Self-employed, you make money if you are there. But if not, but when you are a business owner, it doesn't matter if you are physically present at the place or not, you're gonna generate money.

SPEAKER_02 20:23

Well, and that's that's my what my push is to give all my people the tools and resources to make our money work for us instead of you know what we've been wired to believe is that we constantly have to work for our money.

SPEAKER_00 20:37

It work it, it works hard. And sometimes we have it work hard, and sometimes we hear we hear from our parents it's like uh, oh, money doesn't grow on trees. And so we we make our kids think that uh everything is free.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

You have to chase it, chase it.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

So we need to stop uh like uh also telling our kids those kind of things so we can be a little bit have a better relationship with the money, and when we have a better better relationship with money, money's gonna come out exactly.

SPEAKER_03 21:03

So hey, well, thank you, ladies. I mean, I feel like I already got so much knowledge for just that. I feel like I got rid of a lot more fear as well. So thank you again. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 21:14

If you would like to learn more about wealth wave and some entrepreneur or even transitional opportunities for you to be able to make some side money to help pay off debt, reach your goals, or just be able to create a financial life of financial freedom. Um, just click on the link below to get more information. Have a good one. See you next time.